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“Thank you,” she drawled. “I’m really happy for you, too, Blythe. I do hope I’ll get to see you around. Will y’all at least be staying for the Summer Festival? It’s next week. Momma makes these fried cinnamon rolls that are just to die for!”
“Oh, I don’t know if we’ll be staying for that long,” she said. “We’ll need to get back to work.”
“Of course you will,” she said, though Blythe noticed a hint of disappointment. Within seconds her face lit back up. “Well, I’ll just have to have Momma fry you some up before you leave. You’re in room six, okay? The best one we’ve got.”
“What do we owe you?” Finn asked, pulling out his wallet.
“Oh, don’t be silly.” AnnaBeth waved his cash away. “Not for one of my oldest friends. Y’all just be sure to send some business my way.” She winked.
Just then the door swung open and a man wearing a baseball cap, buttoned-up flannel shirt, and jeans came strolling in carrying a large box.
“Hello, can I help you?” AnnaBeth asked.
“Delivery from Miller’s,” the boy drawled.
“Well, you aren’t Hank,” AnnaBeth said, opening the box as he set it down before her eyes traveled back toward him. Blythe noticed the blush on her cheeks almost instantly.
“No, ma’am, I’m his nephew, Blake. Nice to meet you.”
Blythe pushed Finn out of the way, sensing the immediate tension that filled the room as AnnaBeth eyed the man in front of her like a piece of candy waiting to be devoured. She could hear her giggling as they closed the door.
“This place is straight out of a television show,” Finn said, finally dropping his arm from her shoulders and heading across the gravel parking lot toward their room.
“You haven’t seen the half of it,” she teased, stepping into the stale-smelling room and feeling a sense of relief. She was home.
Chapter Thirty-One
Over the next few days, Blythe showed Finn all around Darlington—taking him to eat at Norma’s Cafe, to shop at the local market, and to sit in the town’s gazebo and stare at the people that wandered aimlessly through the downtown square.
So many familiar faces passed by her: old teachers, classmates, friends of her parents, members of her childhood church. Nearly everyone they passed stopped them to catch up. A trip that should’ve only taken ten minutes dragged out to an hour just because of the many conversations she had along the way.
Somehow, though it used to drive Blythe crazy, she was finding herself growing more and more nostalgic for the town she’d once called home.
On their last day in town, Blythe finally worked up the courage to take Finn to the spot where her home had once stood. They drove down the quiet, tree-lined street with apprehension filling her belly. She had cool tears in her eyes before she even saw the hill.
As Finn slowed to a stop where she directed him, they stared up at the concrete slab, the only remaining thing from the home that held nearly every memory she had. Nothing was left of it, and yet all the memories remained. She could still picture it standing there—playing Mother May I at the end of the blue porch, camping out in the front yard, decorating the large oaks with ‘spider webs’ at Halloween.
The memories flooded her mind, leaking out of her eyes in the form of tears. Oh, how she missed them. She climbed out of the car, listening to Finn follow suit. She climbed the concrete steps at the edge of the street that led up to the house, wanting so badly to wake up from the nightmare she was living.
As she reached the top, standing in front of the house that was no more, she let herself cry for all that she’d lost. For all that she’d run away from, as if that would solve everything.
She felt Finn’s hand on her shoulders as he pulled her into his chest, rubbing her back and letting her sob. She cried for what seemed like hours, but could only have been minutes, letting herself finally admit to all the hurt she was feeling. Had that grief really been there all this time?
“This must’ve been a beautiful home,” Finn whispered in her ear, his cheek pressed against hers.
She nodded, unable to form words.It was,she wanted to say.It really, truly was.
* * *
Back at thehotel as they were packing their things, Finn stepped outside to answer a quick phone call about work. Blythe knew they were missing him. Though he’d never admit it, Finn wanted to become foreman with his construction company more than possibly anything else in his life. He was good at his job. She’d seen that just in the few random things he’d fixed around their apartment.Their apartment.It felt good to say. Everything with Finn felt good.
When he came back into the room, he was wearing a tremendous smile that made her think maybe her thoughts had willed the promotion into fruition. She eyed him suspiciously. “What did they say?”
He walked toward her without a word, scooping her up and kissing her softly. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, too,” she said. It hadn’t been long since they’d started using the words but the feeling hadn’t begun to grow old. Oh, how she loved to hear him say he loved her. “I’m guessing it was good news, then?”
“Sit down,” he instructed, using his eyes to guide her toward the bed.
